Scribd.com: "World's Largest Document-Sharing Community"

From a Boston.com article:

"Other downloads come from file-hosting sites that store complete copies of books. One such site, Scribd.com, is based in San Francisco. Backed by $3.7 million in funding from venture capital firm Redpoint Ventures, Scribd calls itself 'the world's largest document-sharing community,' with 17 million visitors a month. Users sign up for free accounts, which allow them to post documents on Scribd for other users to read or download. Businesses and educators use Scribd to share legitimate documents, but some account holders post copyrighted materials, including books.

Jason Bentley, Scribd's director of community development and copyright agent, said that his site allows only legal file sharing and that any files posted without permission of the copyright holder are taken down. 'We will remove the item or items within hours,' Bentley said in an interview. 'If you have more than two works taken down for copyright infringement, your account will be closed.' A federal law shields websites from copyright lawsuits if they quickly comply with removal demands from the copyright holders. Earlier this month, Bentley told the Chronicle of Higher Education that Scribd gets at least one take-down request a day, including frequent ones from Harvard University Press and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press."

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/07/18/textbooks_free_and_illegal_online/?page=2